The Voice of the Martyrs' blog, sharing powerful stories and timely information that invites and inspires American Christians into fellowship with their persecuted family around the world.

Posts from May 2010

May 28, 2010

As you may know in our culture these days saying a prayer and referencing Jesus can be really controversial or intolerant by some. But what about saying this in a prayer, “Christian land governed by Christian principles” ?

Well, as you may guess, this is exactly what happened on May 21st. Cynthia Dunbar actually used those words in a prayer she said at a Texas State Board of Education Meeting, and immediately she was attacked by some in the media.

The problem is that Dunbar was quoting a left leaning Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren said this during a prayer breakfast in 1954! Read here for the full controversy.

Here is the full prayer that sparked the controversy.

Most gracious Heavenly Father, we come before you today and ask that you grant to us The ability to not be anxious for the Future; Wisdom and understanding for the Day; and Hearts of gratitude for the Past. As we look to our Past to guide us, let us reflect on the convictions of those who have gone before us. “I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book and the Spirit of the Saviour have from the beginning been our guiding geniuses…whether we look to the first Charter of Virginia…or to the Charter of New England…or to the Charter of Massachusetts Bay…or to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut…the same objective is present: a Christian land governed by Christian principles. I believe the entire Bill of Rights came into being because of the knowledge our forefathers had of the Bible and their belief in it: freedom of belief, of expression, of assembly, of petition, the dignity of the individual, the sanctity of the home, equal justice under law and the reservation of powers to the people. … I like to believe we are living today in the spirit of the Christian religion. I like also to believe that as long as we do so, no great harm can come to our country.”

Chief Justice Earl WarrenPrayer Breakfast, Mayflower Hotel, Feb. 1954

All this I pray in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Indonesia (MNN) ― A recent closure of a church in West Java and a trip to Indonesia confirm Greg Musselman's suspicions of continuing persecution against Christians in the country.

Musselman, spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs, Canada, said though Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation, Christian and Muslim neighbors mostly live at peace with one another. However, reports of militant Muslim groups creating animosity sent Musselman and VOMC to the country to see firsthand.

"We're hearing stories of churches being destroyed, hundreds of these militant Muslim mobs showing up in front of these churches and trying to shut them down, people beaten up, driven away and all that kind of thing. So we wanted to go investigate," he said.

Musselman's visit confirmed these happenings, especially in the province of West Java on the island of Jakarta. According to AsiaNews, authorities just shut down a church in that region belonging to Gereja Kristen Indonesia (GKI), a Christian group, at the urging of a local extremist Islamic group.

Though persecution persists, Musselman said it is not as blatant: "It's not as intense as we've heard in the past. But there's still this underlying persecution taking place to intimidate."

Though the extremists are not being as violent, this intimidation leaves Christians apprehensive and terrified with whatever step they take.

No matter, Musselman said God is still at work in Indonesia. He has revealed his supernatural power, drawing Muslims to Him through dreams and visions and working on the hearts of others.

As a testimony to this work despite intimidation, Musselman visited an underground Bible institute, where nearly 70 percent of the students were from a Muslim background.

Now, Musselman said the response of Christians around the world should be to band together with Indonesian believers. "If one part of the body suffers, then we all suffer. So if it's believers in Indonesia or if it's believers in Mexico or Somalia, or Ethiopia--wherever it might be, we're joined with them and we need to be praying."

In addition to prayer, VOMC can use your financial support, which will go to help believers like the ones in Indonesia who are facing persecution every day.

Today Mission Network News has an encouraging story about how Christians have helped some suffering Christians in India. India is a nation where Christians compromise a very small percentage of the population and so the help that was provided to these believers is so great because now the gospel can go ever farther.

India (MNN) ― In the Indian states of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, Christians have been a stagnant minority, not even comprising one percent of the population. The Hindu and Sikh majorities try to run out the few Christians who remain, by using threats and hostility such as shutting down churches or driving them from their homes.

Mawii Pudaite of Bibles for the World said one such believer is Pastor Thanga Tryte, supported by BFTW, who just lost his home and his place of worship.

"Unfortunately, the landlords are unwilling to extend the rent to Pastor Thanga and his family this month. Also, they no longer allow the church to hold services in the apartment and to store the supplies of Gospels and Bibles," Pudaite said.

With no place to meet, believers in the area searched for a new church building. Thanga and BFTW's director in Delhi, C. Thant Khobung, found a building which Youth With a Mission (YWAM) had outgrown.

Although YWAM cut the price by one third, Pudaite said they still could not afford the $50,000 needed to purchase the building--that is, until two sisters from Minnesota heard about the plight of these Indian believers.

Pudaite said, "This past week the $50,000 grant came, and we are able to take possession of the building."

Christians in these two Indian states were previously a stagnant minority, but that is beginning to change as new believers are baptized almost weekly. Just last week, 18 made public commitments of faith through baptism. As these converts--many of them Sikh--believe Christ's truth, they in turn begin evangelizing their communities.

"These are the direct results of the Bibles and Gospels we have been distributing in Chandigarh and other cities in Punjab," Pastor Thanga told Pudaite. "We urgently need more Gospels and New Testaments to distribute."

Consider helping to replenish BFTW's diminishing stock of Bibles and Gospels. Click here to help. It costs just $2.25 per copy to print and distribute New Testaments, and only 25 cents per copy for the Gospel of John.

May 27, 2010

We have great news coming from our friends at China Aid today. Rejoice with us for the release of our brothers and sisters!! God is great isn't He!

HENAN — On May 5, sixteen major house church leaders from different provinces were detained while meeting for prayer and Bible study.They were held at a detention center in Luoyang city. ChinaAid urged the international community to call on the authorities to release the pastors, including Pastor Li Fuxing from Shandong and Pastor Zhang "Peter" Bide. Because of international pressure, on May 21 all the house church leaders were released!ChinaAid thanks those who called and voiced their concern over the plight of the imprisoned house church leaders of Henan. We rejoice at their release, and encourage Christians worldwide to continue to pray for continued light and victory in the battle for religious rights in China.

Speaking of Bibles Unbound, we have a brand new opportunity for you to help send bibles to India. Click here to sign up today and tell a friend, your Sunday school class and anyone who will listen. You'll be glad you did.

We are pleased to announce a new addition to our Bibles Unbound family  the country of India. Known as the worlds largest democracy, India may seem an unlikely country to need Bibles. However, this country of more than 1 billion people has the most unreached people groups in the world, according to the U.S. Center of World Mission. Nearly 88 percent of Indias 2,500 people groups are ignorant of the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

India, in Southern Asia and spanning from Pakistan to Burma, is plagued by religious violence. Christians are attacked an average of three times a week, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. In 2008, the country experienced its worst anti-Christian violence in recent history when Hindu radicals raided Christian villages in Orissa state, killing more than 100 people, burning thousands of homes and displacing more than 70,000 people. But despite this violent persecution, Indian evangelists continually request one item above all others  Gods Word.

Sakhya Nayak, a 22-year-old mother, is one of the thousands of Christians displaced by the Orissa attacks. Hindu radicals raided Sakhyas village, killing her grandmother and her father-in-law, Samuel Nayak, a pastor. They burned Sakhyas home and everything she owned. During the attacks, Sakhya fled to the forest, hiding from the roving band of killers. During that time, she wished for only one thing  a Bible. When we were in the jungle, only one man had a Bible that we used to read and pray with, Sakhya said. When we read the Bible we get strength. The Bible is more precious than gold.

The Voice of the Martyrs has heard the request of our persecuted brothers and sisters in India who have painstakingly gathered the names of many in India who have never held a Bible. Together we can spread the light of Christ throughout this unreached nation by sending the Word of God.

India Bibles Unbound operations will be Virtual Only. Bibles Unbound will send to India for you, Bibles from a location outside the United States. The exciting news is this process saves money and allows us to provide complete Bibles to India. You can view the names of people who will receive the Bibles you sponsor on your personal Mission Page so you can pray for them.

Please continue to pray for Sakhya and all the Indian Christians who remain joyous in the Lord despite persecution. Pray for the unreached people groups in India and the evangelists who courageously seek to spread the gospel among them.

If you're like me, then you LOVE the Voice of the Martyrs Bibles Unbound program and one of the reasons I have loved the program is because Bibles Unbound has been so blessed to send bibles in areas that may never receive them. One of those areas is North Korea, which as you may know, is one of the most closed nations to the gospel.

I just received the following report about the success of this program in North Korea. Read on...

Have you been anxiously awaiting word that the Bibles you sponsored have successfully reached their destination in North Korea? Wait no more! Bibles Unbound is pleased to announce the successful completion of the operation. Thanks to your help, 10,000 Bibles have made it into the hands of believing and non-believing North Korean men and women.

Mr. Lee, one man who received a Bible through this operation, explained that before he defected to China he believed Bibles were evil. As a young boy he had been taught that American missionaries did bad things and that the books they carried were bad, too. He admits that when a Bible was passed to him in China, he was afraid to read it. But once he began, he discovered that the words in the Bible are not evil, but instead teach us how to be forgiven and glorify God by doing good. After reading these good words, Mr. Lee placed his faith in Jesus Christ. He then began smuggling Bibles into North Korea, despite the extreme danger. One time he was betrayed and some of the Bibles were destroyed, but he soon returned to smuggling more Bibles into North Korea.

Even as you read these words, Mr. Lee may be making the perilous journey back to North Korea to deliver Gods Word to those who so desperately need and desire it. Mr. Lee is not alone in his dangerous mission. Many North Korean Christians are dedicated to smuggling Gods Word and delivering it to those who need it. Please be praying for these faithful smugglers and the precious cargo they carry. Gods words have the power to transform lives, and together we can pray for transformation in the 10,000 lives reached with these Bibles. Your brothers and sisters in North Korea are so grateful for your partnership. Please continue to lift them up in prayer as they serve God in North Korea.

May 26, 2010

This story is from our friends at Compass Direct, and it is so sad. Please read through it and then spend some time in prayer for this family. Ask the Lord for provision, wisdom for this family and healing.

CAIRO, Egypt, May 25 (CDN) — From the mosque across the street, words blasting from minaret megaphones reverberate throughout the tiny apartment where Maher Ahmad El-Mo’otahssem Bellah El-Gohary is forced to hide. Immediately following afternoon prayers, the Friday sermon is, in part, on how to deal with Christians.

“Do not shake their hands. Do not go into their homes. Do not eat their food,” an imam shouts as El-Gohary, a convert to Christianity from Islam, looks through his window toward the mosque, shakes his head and grimaces.

“I hope one day to live in a place where there are no mosques,” he says. “How many megaphones do they need?”

For nearly two years, El-Gohary and his teenage daughter have been living in hiding because he abandoned Islam and embraced Christianity. During this time he has been beaten and forcibly detained, and his daughter has been attacked. He has had to endure death threats, poverty and crushing boredom.

Asked what gets him through the constant pressure of living on the run, El-Gohary said he wants to show the world how Christians are treated in Egypt.

“My main driving force is I want to prove to people the amount of persecution that Muslim converts and Christians face here, and that the persecution has been going on for 1,400 years,” he said.

When asked the same question, his 16-year-old daughter, Dina Maher Ahmad Mo’otahssem, pushed back tears and said one word.

A few weeks ago we told you about a number of Christians who have been sentenced to time in Linfen Prison. Today, will you please write Yang Caizhen an encouraging note, and please pray for her? Your words of encouragement and prayers will mean and accomplish so much.

Please click here to visit Prisoner Alert to take action today. More information is below.

On Nov. 25, 2009, Yang Caizhen and four other Linfen-Fushan church leaders from Shanxi Province were sentenced to criminal detention for three to seven years, according to China Aid Association. The five church leaders were accused of "gathering people to disturb the public order," because they organized a prayer rally on Sept. 14, the day after 400 military police raided the church's grounds. During the raid, more than 30 believers were seriously wounded and 17 church buildings were destroyed.

May 25, 2010

We've covered numerous churches in recent days that have been either set on fire, or burglarized or vandalized. Today we have a sad story about a Catholic Church in the Los Angeles area, that has been vandalized with the number 666 being scrawled in the kitchen, a knife being stabbed into a picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe and then someone had defecated in the sanctuary.

The Catholic Church is calling this a hate crime and police are investigating. Click here to read more.